Scientists stage round-the-clock search

Scientists stage round-the-clock
search for life in
Christchurch

Judy
Grindell showing children what’s living in the leaf litter
at the Auckland BioBlitz. Photo by Peter
Buchanan

Hagley Park and the Botanic
Gardens are already well known to most Christchurch people,
but will come under closer scrutiny this weekend, as hordes
of scientists probe the undergrowth, fish the Avon and scour
the bush for creatures, day and night.

“BioBlitz – finding
nature in the city” is a 24-hour quest from 3pm Friday,
April 8 to 3pm Saturday, April 9, to find as many different
non-human life forms as possible. A team of more than 80
biologists will scour the park and the gardens recording
everything they can find, dead or alive; from plants to
fungi to fish to animals, diurnal and nocturnal. They will
keep a running tally.

The public are welcome to see the
scientists at work at a base camp not far from the Garden’s
Information Centre. There will be posters, microscopes,
talks and displays, and the chance to join in field trips.
Guides will take visitors to see or to help with spotting
eels by torchlight, electric fishing, looking for mammal
pests, bird watching, sweep-netting grass for insects,
light-trapping moths at night, fossicking for algae and
fungi, searching for plants, and touring the Botanic
Gardens.

For the “weird” factor, visitors can see
bacteria and algae from soil, plants and waterways that have
been cultured onto agar jelly. They can also look down
microscopes to watch tiny soil animals running around in
leaf litter. Also, visitors will be able to see the inky
footprints left by animals such as hedgehogs walking through
tracker tunnels, or the bite marks of rats and others in
special wax blocks.

The event is being organised by
Landcare Research, Lincoln University and Christchurch City
Council, with a big contribution from Botanic Gardens staff.
Canterbury University, NIWA, Crop & Food Research, the
Department of Conservation, Weed Busters, Environment
Canterbury, Kaupapa Kereru and others are also
participating.

BioBlitz in Christchurch follows a
successful event in Auckland last month, in which such
delights as dog vomit slime mould and blood-sucking leeches
were found. BioBlitz spokesperson, Landcare Research PR/
Communications Manager Judy Grindell says she hopes the
event will demonstrate to locals that there is a great deal
more living in urban areas than they think.

“People
recognise the large, above ground biodiversity such as
plants, trees and animals such as birds, but they do not
realise how full of life the area really is, and how
important all the unseen species are to the health of our
environments.

“For example, a teaspoon of soil may contain
millions of bacteria and many kilometres of fungal threads.
These micro-organisms have essential roles in nutrient
cycling. The insects and fish living in waterways are often
good indicators of water quality, and there will be students
from Manning Intermediate in Hoon Hay demonstrating their
stream monitoring work at BioBlitz.”

Botanic Gardens
curator Dr David Given says BioBlitz will be a great
opportunity for people to get to know the park and gardens
better with the help of lots of friendly scientists.

“There will be dozens of experts in their fields here,
and they are all very approachable people.

“We will be
keeping separate tallies for the Gardens and the rest of
Hagley Park. The huge number of plant species in the Gardens
will help to highlight the role and scientific importance of
Botanic Gardens.

“It will help to have a catalogue of
what is here, to help us make decisions for future
management, and to ascertain if there are areas that deserve
special protection.”

Media and the public are welcome to
attend BioBlitz at any time during the day. The main
Botanic Gardens carpark off Armagh Street will remain open
until at least 8pm. However other entrances to the Botanic
Gardens will close at 6.30pm as usual. Visitors after dark
should bring a torch.

Programmes outlining times for
events and departures of field trips are available to media
on request.

Christchurch Mayor Garry Moore will open
BioBlitz at 3pm on Friday and ECan Chief Executive Dr Bryan
Jenkins will close the event at 3pm on Saturday, revealing
how many species have been found.

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